The influence of Eurosceptic parties on the EU policies of member states

Kivonat, rövid leírás

The aim of this research was to understand whether and how Eurosceptic parties might influence the EU policies of member states. It took the Netherlands and Hungary as case studies, focusing on the influence of Eurosceptic parties on the migration of those member states. For the Netherlands, the hard Eurosceptic PVV and soft Eurosceptic SGP were analyses in the period when the PVV was a parliamentary supporter of the VVD-CDA government (2010-2012). For Hungary, Jobbik’s influence on the EU policies of the Fidesz-KDNP government was analysis over the period 2015-2020. For the analysis, causal mechanisms were developed (using process tracing) from three literatures, namely: the contagion effect, coalition bargaining and parliamentary oversight. The results are summarised in the table below. The main points are that the PVV in the Netherlands, as parliamentary supporter, had a disproportionate influence on the government, since it threatened with withdrawing its support, thereby letting the government fall. The PVV did not have ministerial responsibilities (accountability), but was part of the weekly ministerial meetings. In the case of Hungary, the government, with its overwhelming majority, was able to take ownership of the issues that Jobbik proposed. Nevertheless, Jobbik’s more restrictive proposals are likely to have shifted the Fidesz government towards a more restrictive migration policy. Firstly, this research focuses on an urgent, and so far unanswered, question of what the influence is of Eurosceptic parties on the EU policies of member states. Secondly, in order to research this question, three literatures were used, namely: the coalition effect, coalition bargaining and parliamentary oversight. (Theoretical integration of these literatures to focus the research question.) Thirdly, this dissertation analyses Euroscepticism in Hungary and the Netherlands in detail and compares the policy implications on these two systems with each other. As a result, the conditions of Eurosceptic parties in policy are put into perspective, and the generalisability of the findings is touched upon.